I'm a biomedical ethics researcher. In summer 2021, when "green pass" Covid vaccination proofs rolled out in Europe, we noticed Telegram was becoming the platform of choice for anti-green-pass groups. We wondered if we could study them by accessing their communications and mapping their opinions. After a lengthy discussion with our legal advisers, we did it. It was surprisingly easy, and scary. We didn't need to ask anything of Telegram. We could infiltrate several different groups, download their entire logs, and identify related groups using links in cross-shared messages. In nondemocratic regimes, this could be used not only to map and understand dissent, but also to eradicate it. This morning I rescued a spider from the kitchen sink and tried to divert her to our plant shelf. Instead, she settled into the web between two of my fingers, where she remained as I read this evocative essay. Was she a part of my reality? Absolutely. Was I a part of hers? I have no idea. All I know is it was an effortless moment of sharing this confusing existence with another being. I'm 71, a former drug-addled youth now 12 years sober. Some drugs were wonderful when lightly applied, and lessons were learned, but they were eventually buried under the strains of life. If one has any inkling to attempt chemical intervention, I'd suggest counseling, meditation, yoga, hiking, or learning to ride a motorcycle.
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